Philanthropy Europe Networks Forum – PEXForum 2020 – is the first Europe-wide flagship event which brings together 120+ leaders and experts from national, regional and European philanthropy support organisations.

PEXForum 2020 aimed to provide a unique space to create a European philanthropy identity as a common ground to jointly advance the philanthropy ecosystem in a changing world.

We’d like to thank the following contributors: 

Liisa Suvikumpu, Association of Finnish Foundations
Rupert Strachwitz, Maecenata Foundation
Ruth Williams, MSc, Austrian Foundations Association
Dr. Lev Fejes, ARC Romania
Juliana Hoxha, Partners Albania for Change and Development
Charles Keidan, Alliance magazine
Zibran Choudhury, Alliance magazine
Liana Varon, Support Foundation for Civil Society
Filiz Bikmen, Constellations for Change and founding director of Esas Social Investments
David Biemesderfer, United Philanthropy Forum

Witnessing firsthand a growing philanthropic collaboration in Europe

As the CEO of United Philanthropy Forum for the past four years, I have focused the vast majority of my efforts on U.S. philanthropy. That’s because the Forum’s more than 80 philanthropy-serving organisation (PSO) members are primarily focused on U.S. philanthropy. But since the very start of my tenure at the Forum I’ve received constant reminders that my organisation needs to maintain a global perspective if we are to achieve the best possible outcomes for our work on U.S. philanthropic practice, strategies and policies.

David Biemesderfer reports here…

What’s next for PEX?

I like the ring of that, and for me, as a closer and one who appreciates discussions reach a conclusion, it summarises my sentiments perfectly. In meetings, there are openers and closers. Openers like to open discussion, promote inquiry and exploration. I truly appreciate openers and the safe and encouraging spaces that allow such discussion.

Filiz Bikmen reports here…

Co-creating a new narrative for philanthropy in Europe

PEXForum 2020 brought together European philanthropy networks and regional, global thematic networks in Madrid for the first time. Hosted by the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF) and Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe (DAFNE) and facilitated by the Sense Tribe, the Forum offered a rich content and thought provoking discussions in a highly interactive environment!

Liana Varon reports here…

European philanthropy networks up their game

What happens when you bring philanthropy networks together, roughly divided into two groups, to spend quality time with one another? One set of groups represents the interests of foundations in individual countries and the other set is focused on joint action on shared issues and themes. To put the question a different way, what do you get when the European Human Rights Funders Network meets the Albanian Donors Forum?

Charles Keidan reports here…

Readers poll winner: Networks for impact, not networking

The report ‘Philanthropy Networks: Creating Value, Voice and Collective Impact’ was introduced by Filiz Bikmen (Constellations for Change and Esas Sosyal) who made clear that ‘networks are key components to the ecosystem’ and should be ‘central to the practice of philanthropists’. The report asks and answers ‘How can philanthropy support networks go beyond focusing solely on organizational impact to creating more collective impact across the sector?’.

Zibran Choudhury reports here…

Interact, connect, communicate

I just came back from three days in Madrid, attending PEXForum 2020. I feel these three days were well spent and worthy to leave the office in a very busy period at the beginning of the year.

Juliana Hoxha reports here…

PEX-ed up!

I am writing this blog post on the plane, during my flight back to Cluj from Madrid. The vibe of the first #PEXforum2020 is still fresh after three days. As this rarely happens, I would have to agree with Felix Oldenburg that ‘the technical term’ for what just happened is ‘Wow!’.

Lev Fejes reports here…

It is time to act. Together.

The PEXForum 2020, the first of its kind, organised by AEF and DAFNE, brought together various European stakeholders from all over the world. It provided a unique space to create a European philanthropy identity as a common ground and to jointly advance the philanthropy ecosystem in a changing world.

Ruth Williams reports here…

Audiatur et altera pars

At the PEXForum 2020, held in Madrid on 23-24 January, I was reminded of this old Roman saying, while thouroughly enjoying the informal and yet very concentrated and productive meeting of experts in philanthropy.

Rupert Strachwitz reports here…

1350 words and nine concrete actions for a better future for foundations

The way I take notes is deeply rooted. Therefore, in busy group work situations, I get anxious when I can’t tap all my thoughts on the computer. What happened in Madrid, however, was remarkable: although my computer was mostly closed, a file named ‘Notes PEXforum2020’ appeared on the screen.

Liisa Suvikumpu reports here…

New publication profiles philanthropy ecosystem in Europe

Ahead of the PEX2020 forum later this week, Alliance magazine has released a new publication profiling the organisations that comprise the philanthropy ecosystem in Europe. Read more…

PEXForum 2021

It was announced that the PEXForum will take place in Istanbul, Turkey next year. Rana Kotan, newly appointed secretary general of TUSEV said, ‘I am excited for that this means for the philanthropic sector in Turkey’.

Coming up!

As part of our Alliance extra we series, we also interviewed Rana Kotan at PEXForum 2020 to discuss the sector at large in Turkey which will be published later this year. Sign-up to our newsletter so you receive subscriber only interviews and articles published exclusively on the Alliance website every week.

Also coming up in Alliance extra from PEXForum 2020:

• An interview with Alberto Alemmano of the Good Lobby – the leading advocacy movement democratizing lobbying
• An interview with David Biemesderfer, President & CEO of United Philanthropy Forum – the largest and most diverse network in American philanthropy

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Hosting a conference? Alliance magazine is one of the leading magazines for global philanthropy, and we can provide in-person or remote coverage for your event to over 24,000 readers worldwide. If you would like to explore ways in which Alliance can provide dedicated coverage, please email Amy McGoldrick at amy@alliancemagazine.org.